Many students have told me, "I can't write. I can't write in my own language."
To them I say, please write in English and you will find you can.
To help you write, we'll learn at a few rules but let me emphasize the first rule -
JUST WRITE.
Take time and just write in English. Write what you want to write and don't think about grammar or writing. Just write. That's what great. authors do. They write and that is what you should do.
Now there are some other rules that can help you write. Today we'll look at these other rules for writing an academic paragraph.
YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF A PARAGRAPH:
the topic sentence
the transition + the first idea
the support
the transition + the second idea
the support
the concluding sentence
The first sentence of a paragraph is called a topic sentence. The topic sentence is the topic and the controlling idea. The topic is the subject and the controlling ideas are ideas like “reasons, ways, causes, effects, problems, solutions, etc.”
You can have 1 to 3 controlling ideas in a paragraph.
The second sentence of a paragraph is the first idea.
You first need a transition to begin the first idea. You can use “First of all and then a comma.”
Then you should give support.
For support, you can use an explanation which is specific facts about your topic.
An example is a personal experience or someone else’s experience. You need a name + a specific situation. Remember you need to go with what you know.
After the support, you should go to the second idea. You need a transition for the second idea and you can use “In addition and a comma.” Then, you can add support.
The last sentence is the concluding sentence. It is only 1 sentence and you can begin like “These are some of the reasons….”
Let’s look at some examples to make sure each of the parts of a paragraph.
Sample paragraphs on Why I like my country. Let's label each sentence. Topic sentence, first idea, support, second idea, support and the concluding sentence.
Please read this sample and see if you can label the parts:
Sample 1:
I like my country for several reasons. First of all, it is beautiful. I go to the beach in Florida and see the water. It is very clear and blue. In addition, the people are very interesting. They come from many countries and places. I can learn about Mexico from a neighbor. These are some of the reasons I like my country.
Sample 1:
I like my country for several reasons. First of all, it is beautiful. I go to the beach in Florida and see the water. It is very clear and blue. In addition, the people are very interesting. They come from many countries and places. I can learn about Mexico from a neighbor. These are some of the reasons I like my country.
Now let's read one more sample and see if you can label the parts:
Sample 2:
There are many reasons why I like my country. First of all, it is my home. My family lives here. My brother, niece, nephews, parents, cousins, uncles and aunts live here. I love my family and my home. In addition, I like the people. They like to help people. Sometimes people have problems, and strangers help each other. Their car doesn’t work and people stop and fix the car. They don’t know each other but they help each other. These are some of the reasons I like my country.
Sample 2:
There are many reasons why I like my country. First of all, it is my home. My family lives here. My brother, niece, nephews, parents, cousins, uncles and aunts live here. I love my family and my home. In addition, I like the people. They like to help people. Sometimes people have problems, and strangers help each other. Their car doesn’t work and people stop and fix the car. They don’t know each other but they help each other. These are some of the reasons I like my country.
You now know the parts of a paragraph. In our next lesson, we'll practice writing the parts of a paragraph. For now though, don't forget to write, write, write.